When this first came out, I was skeptical that a palette with six shades of black-ish eyeshadow could be worthwhile. I mean, how many variations of black eyeshadow does one gal need?! Black eyeshadow and more black eyeshadow sounds like a recipe for a raccoon look. I felt like the one black shadow I had was plenty--I'd probably lose or break it before I used it up--and most of you probably feel the same way.

Then I swatched it at my local Sephora. And I decided I needed every single one of those gorgeous shades in the Urban Decay Black Palette. I hadn't realized that there was a void in my shadow collection that would be perfectly filled by this palette. These shades are all gorgeous blackened jewel tones, with and five of them have shimmer to them. And the texture and pigmentation were beautiful. I bought the palette that same day that I swatched it, and haven't regretted it one bit.

The Urban Decay Black Palette is one of my favorite palettes because it's perfect for creating a smoky eye, setting liner, or creating a dramatic look. It's been discontinued, so grab one while you still can from Urban Decay's sale page for only $16.00.

For all six shadows, the texture is smooth, the pigmentation is above average and buildable, and the length of wear is great. The packaging is typical of Urban Decay's earlier cardboard palettes with magnetic closures. I like the packaging, especially since it has a mirror inside. Although most UD lovers probably have a bunch of mini 24/7 eyeliners in Zero, and mini Primer Potions in various shades, they're still nice additions to this set.

Seriously, this palette is a MUST HAVE. It's one of my makeup staples, and I use it all the time. I'm seriously considering buying a back up palette, in case I drop mine or something. It's not a palette that works well on its own, but it definitely rounds out my eyeshadow collection nicely.